I reused dirt today. I scooped up the dirt on the down side of the hill behind our house and put back up where it probably came from. I unearthed the bricks that were bordering the landscaped area of our “garden”. I also dumped out the dirt from the pots where only dead plants once occupied. It was fantastic for filling in the spots that the rain had eroded away. Why buy more dirt? What a strange thing to do…buy dirt.

I recycle all kinds of plastic bags, bread bags, the bags that toilet paper comes and paper towels come in. No, I have not been able to rid myself of these yet. I know once we are sans children, it will be much easier to be sans paper towels. However, I’m beginning to get accustomed to using old “rags” for clean-up then disposable paper towels or other disposable cleaning tool. I even recycle toilet paper rolls and labels off of new clothes. I try to carry reuseable bags or use just my purse whenever possible. Somehow we still manage to acquire enough plastic bags to use for pet waste and to line the garbage cans of our 4 bathrooms. Whoever invented those rolls of plastic bags for doggy poo pick-up or for dirty diaper disposal is nuts. One household can surely acquire enough plastic bags to not ever need to purchase those. Yes, I have even used bread bags and the toilet paper plastic packaging for dirty diapers.

This is a work in progress and I’m constantly assessing where I can do better and reduce my families carbon footprint. It is a never ending journey of improvement (such a self-defeating feeling at times). Yes, we have a rather larger house on a rather large piece of land (0.6 acres) but our electric and gas bills are half of what we spent on your old house that was even 1/3rd the size. It was a cute and charming house built circa 1925. I’m also currently working on riding of toxic cleaners. I’m using up what I already have and am trying to actually acquire enough containers for each bathroom to hold non-toxic cleaners like vinegar and backing soda, rags to wash, etc. I’m learning how to use and make the cleaners that my grandma probably use to use. They actually work well and are extremely cheap too. Even better, I now feel safer in enlisting the assistance of son. I get some help from him and I don’t have to worry too much exposing him to poisons. He loves scrubbing the toilet and bathtub. If one doesn’t believe in “greening” their life, they at least can appreciate assistance from their child while teaching them some kind of work-ethic.

Today is the beginning of a journey for us. We’ve been trying to conceive for over 2 years now and infertility treatments are well underway. In fact, our second IUI (intra-uterine insemination) is scheduled for next week. I’m not fully sure where this journey will take us or even where it could even take us. The biggest part of this journey is discovering just that. It’s an education that is for sure.

Why today? We are officially scheduled to attend an informational/orientation to foster parenting. I recently received the paperwork from the foster-parenting organization that says “only 15% of foster children are eligible for adoption.” That is not quiet what I expected. However, I do not exactly know what I expected. It’s discouraging and overwhelming at the same time. Furthermore, Patrick heard from a social worker today at work that there is a great need for foster parents in this area because most of the families are so large here (many families have 4 or more children) that no one can possibly take in more children via foster. How sad is that? We are a society that continues to populate the world with more children when there are so many that are in need.

I wonder further about private adoption as well. I have so many questions and so many fears. I worry and wonder what path are we meant to take and which one will work for us. None of the options appear ideal. I hunger for more and more information about each every option in hopes that we will discover the one that will be right for us.